1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to an indicating device. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for indicating the position of a truck tailgate to a person sitting in the cab of the truck. Specifically, the invention relates to an indicating device connected directly to a truck tailgate which has an adjustable indicating rod that extends outwardly from a housing a distance sufficient that it may be seen from a person sitting in the cab of the truck, the position of the rod indicating the position of the tailgate.
2. Background Information
A pickup truck is a vehicle upon the chassis of which is constructed a flat bed to which are connected low walls circumferentially constructed about the bed. The truck bed is designed to haul large solid objects and loose objects such as sand and gravel. To facilitate the loading and unloading of large solid objects and to facilitate the unloading of loose materials, the rearward wall of the bed is hingedly attached to the lower surface of the truck bed whereby when released, the rearward wall or tailgate moves angularly outward about the bed from a vertical position to a horizontal position creating a shelf extending outward from the rear of the truck.
Trucks contain mirrors and other devices that allow an occupant in the truck to adequately view the roadway to the rear of the vehicle. Such mirrors do not, however, provide an adequate view of the tailgate when the vehicle is in a loaded condition or when the truck bed is covered by a tarp or tonneau cover. In such situations, the tailgate is obstructed from the driver's view.
Use of a truck on a roadway with the tailgate in a horizontal position creates a hazardous situation which should be avoided. The bumping and jarring of the vehicle on the roadway may cause the contents of the truck bed to become dislodged and either fall onto the roadway creating a hazardous situation to other drivers or may fall directly onto a closely following vehicle. Even with the truck bed in an unloaded state, the tailgate in a horizontal position is of a very low profile, making the horizontal tailgate difficult to discern by motorists to the rear of the truck, creating the potential for collision with the rearward-most edge of the tailgate.
Thus, the operator of the pickup truck must constantly be aware of the position of the tailgate. In situations in which the view of the tailgate is obstructed from the driver, the driver must stop the truck and exit the vehicle to directly observe from the rear the position of the tailgate. This results in significant wasted time and reduced efficiency for both the truck and its operator.
The need thus exists in the art for a low cost mechanism which allows the truck operator to quickly ascertain the position of the vehicle tailgate from the cab of the truck to minimizing risks to others and maximizing the efficiency of the operator and of the truck itself.